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STRESS, HEALTH, and WELLBEING of LGBT PEOPLE in COLOMBIA Results from a National Survey

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STRESS, HEALTH, and WELLBEING of LGBT PEOPLE in COLOMBIA Results from a National Survey RESEARCH THAT MATTERS STRESS, HEALTH, AND WELLBEING OF LGBT PEOPLE IN COLOMBIA Results from a National Survey APRIL 2020 The Colombia Collaborative Project Soon Kyu Choi, Shahrzad Divsalar, Jennifer Flórez-Donado, Krystal Kittle, Andy Lin Ilan H. Meyer, Prince Torres-Salazar (authors listed alphabetically) Stress, Health, and Well-being of LGBT People in Colombia: Results from a National Survey | 1 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................................................5 COLOMBIA AND THE RIGHTS OF LGBT PEOPLE ................................................................................................................................... 5 VIOLENCE AGAINST LGBT PEOPLE IN COLOMBIA ................................................................................................................................ 5 YOUTH IN SCHOOL .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 HEALTH OF LGBT PEOPLE ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7 AIMS OF THIS STUDY ................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 METHODS ..............................................................................................................................................................................12 SAMPLE ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 QUESTIONNAIRE ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 DATA PREPARATION AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................ 14 FINDINGS ...............................................................................................................................................................................16 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LESBIAN AND BISEXUAL WOMEN, GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, AND TRANSGENDER SURVEY RESPONDENTS IN COLOMBIA .................................................................................................................................................. 16 PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE OF LESBIAN/GAY AND BISEXUAL WOMEN, GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, AND TRANSGENDER SURVEY RESPONDENTS IN COLOMBIA .................................................................................. 22 MINORITY STRESSORS OF LESBIAN/GAY AND BISEXUAL WOMEN, GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, AND TRANSGENDER RESPONDENTS IN COLOMBIA ................................................................................................................................................................. 28 INTERNALIZING MINORITY STRESS PROCESSES ................................................................................................................................... 35 AGE OF COMING OUT MILESTONES (LGB) AND GENDER IDENTITY MILESTONES (TRANSGENDER).............................................. 39 CONVERSION THERAPY ............................................................................................................................................................................ 40 COMMUNITY CONNECTEDNESS ............................................................................................................................................................. 41 STUDY LIMITATIONS .............................................................................................................................................................43 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................................................................44 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................................................................... 45 REFERENCES .........................................................................................................................................................................46 AUTHORS ...............................................................................................................................................................................49 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................................................................................. 49 SUGGESTED CITATION ............................................................................................................................................................................. 50 APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................................................................................51 APPENDIX 1: LEGAL STATUS OF LGBT PEOPLE IN COLOMBIA ........................................................................................................... 51 APPENDIX 2: STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE IN SPANISH .............................................................................................................................. 59 APPENDIX 3: STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE IN ENGLISH .............................................................................................................................. 84 APPENDIX 4: QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURE SOURCES IN ENGLISH ....................................................................................................... 106 Stress, Health, and Well-being of LGBT People in Colombia: Results from a National Survey | 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Colombia is a country of contradictions when it comes to LGBT lives. On the one hand, there are impressive gains in civil rights protections for LGBT people, such as recognition of same-sex marriage, eligibility for retirement pensions, and legal protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. On the other hand, there continues to be serious violence and discrimination against LGBT people, particularly gay/bisexual men and transgender people. There is also a continued risk of reversal of achieved rights as the conservative movement strongly opposes those rights. This report aims to shed light on the LGBT community in Colombia by providing, for the first time, a comprehensive view of core health and well-being knowledge. The study provides a broad picture about LGBT people in Colombia in these areas: (a) demographic characteristics, including socioeconomic status, familial relationships, religion, geographical region; (b) experiences of stress, discrimination, and violence; (c) health and well-being, including psychological distress (e.g., depressive symptoms), drug use, alcohol use, and suicidality; and (d) connection with the LGBT community. Overall, the study results show that LGBT people live across Colombia and come from all social strata. They experience high levels of discrimination and violence, and a significant proportion of LGBT people have experienced psychological distress and suicidal ideation. METHODS The study used in-person and social media methods to recruit a sample of LGBT people who reside in Colombia. Because it is not feasible to obtain a probability (representative) sample, we aimed for a sample that is diverse in sexual identities, gender, gender identity, geographic residence, and socioeconomic status. Respondents were provided a link to an online self-administered online survey. Recruitment lasted five months from February to July 2019. RESULTS This study is the largest and most comprehensive study conducted on LGBT people in Colombia. The final sample includes 4,867 LGBT people, including 1,243 cisgender and gender non-binary lesbian/ gay women, 895 cisgender and gender non-binary bisexual women, 2,163 cisgender and gender non- binary gay men, 334 cisgender and gender non-binary bisexual men, and 232 transgender people. Cisgender groups include 307 gender non-binary respondents based on their sexual identification. Respondent characteristics Most of the respondents (76%) were between the ages of 18 and 29 years old, about 20% of the respondents were aged 30–50, and 5% of the LGBT sample was aged 50 and older. The relatively young age of the respondents reflects the fact that more younger people, generally, identify as LGBT. It is also a limitation of the study—a result of our reliance on social media, which is more heavily used by young people. Our sample was diverse in terms of gender, gender identity, residential geographic distribution, and Stress, Health, and Well-being of LGBT People in Colombia: Results from a National Survey | 3 social class. Although 44% of our LGBT respondents were college educated, another 44% earned less than the minimum salary in Colombia,
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